SITE ATTENUATION STUDIES

Site attenuation studies are used to determine how the vibration energy will propagate, taking into account local geology. Whether the local geology is sand, silt clay or a variation can affect how the vibration waves will travel and how they will decay as the distance from the energy source increases. Energy sources can be any type of man-made such as blast, weight drop, vibroseis activity or pile driving.

To better understand the decay rate of the local geology, IGS uses multiple seismographs to measure the peak particle velocities (PPV) at known intervals. A plot of the data will yield a site-specific formula that allows us to calculate the anticipated PPVs at varying distances. For operations like seismic exploration, this gives the operators an idea of how close to houses, pipelines, water wells and other structures the energy source can be before modifications need to be implemented.